Terri Hallman

Artist Statement: "I think of each piece as being in a state of constant movement and transformation; from a few abstract lines, which are always there in the beginning, to the top layers, which are more realistic. The layers represent 'the way things were,' and are built up to represent 'the ways things are.' These layers are like scarring or years passing in each character or story that I do.

About the Artist: Terri Hallman was born on August 10, 1962 in a small town in Wisconsin and is the youngest of four children. She attended Junior College in Hibbing, Minnesota and also attended the Minneapolis College of Art and Design where she graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Design.

Hallman is presently living in Louisiana--close to family and friends. Numerous art galleries represent her work across the United States.

Notes on Technique: "For works on paper, the technique that I employ is to apply dry pigment to the surface, adding a clear acrylic spray which sets the pigment in place. Multiple layers are built up and masked off with various sizes of tape and hand-pushed into the paper. No brushes are used. I then scrape away some of the pigment to reveal previous layers and all the tape is removed. This is a very quick process that I liken to handwriting--fast and expressive. At this point, if the piece is not flowing in the direction intended, I proceed to a more labor-intensive process where I begin to build up the areas that are lacking, using acrylic mediums and employing the aforementioned masking-off and tearing-away technique, until the piece finds itself. Very thin washes of color are then blended on top of the layers where, eventually, I will use a combination of oil mixed with dry pigment on the top surfaces until the piece has been fine-tuned and has reached maturity. The weight of each finished piece is often indicative of how long it took to create. It is not uncommon for a painting to take up to one year to complete.